Oh No! There's Ants In My Dry Cat Food!

[doomsdave]

Dear Cat Siters:

I awakened today at 4:00 a.m. to find ants in my cats' dry food, both in the bowl I left out for them, and the bag nearby.

Ugh!

I've found that many people panic over this, and there's no need to, absent the BIG EXCEPTION set forth below. And, even then, just heightened concern, not panic.

I'm not an entomologist, but I spent quite a number of years managing a garden shop, and lots of people came in with ant problems.

To keep things simple, here's what I did:

1. Put the cat food filled with ants in a baggie in the freezer (you can just throw it away, but I'm a flinty bloke);

2. Wash the cat food dish with soap and water;

3. Cleaned the area of the floor adjacent to the cat food dish about 2 feet (.6 M) in diameter.

4. Put the big sack in the refrigerator, or the trunk of the Car of Doom.

5. Roar off to work in the Dark Tower in Downtown Los Angeles.

6. When I got home, picked up the bowl, then I sprayed the area of the floor I'd washed earlier with some contact bug killer recommended for indoor use on the area. I let it sit and dry completely before putting the cat food bowl back again.

If you hate bug killer, you could omit step 6.

EXPLANATION: Ants find their way to home and to food by leaving phermone "scent trails" for others to follow; the washing washes that away. They send out periodic "foraging columns" from their nests; workers that find something (including cat food) that the ants like, tell the others and you have that i-405 at rush hour column coming back and forth to the food. That's why: (a) they appear where they weren't before; or (b) come back when you thought you'd gotten rid of them before.

BIG EXCEPTION. If you're in the "American South" i.e., Texas, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma (and, maybe, Arizona or new Mexico) you might get "Red Imported Fire Ants." RIFA are a pain the literal sense that they can sting really nastily. The heightened concern is that: (a) they sometimes attack people; (b) or crated or tethered animals; and (c) sting them to death. So, just be super-vigilant.

So, Mods, if you think this belongs somewhere else, move it.

Everyone: shoot me a PM if you have questions you don't want to post here. But I encourage you to post, and share concerns with all of us.

Now, off the fondle the kitties.

 

[rubysmama]

Thanks for posting this, as it's a very timely subject.

 

[silkenpaw]

I agree! My housekeeper gets really freaked out about ants in cat food. Like what, they are going to eat the cat?

I'm sure in nature cat's do not avoid food that has ants, insect eggs or even maggots, as disgusting as this seems to us well-fed people.

I've used the freezer trick on fleas and their larvae and eggs in the vacuum cleaner bag. No point throwing away the whole bag each time, just put it in the freezer so nothing gets all over the house.

Luckily, I got rid of fire ants using a molting regulator. It took a while (months) but they have been gone for years now.

 

[Sall223]

Dear Cat Siters:

I awakened today at 4:00 a.m. to find ants in my cats' dry food, both in the bowl I left out for them, and the bag nearby.

Ugh!

I've found that many people panic over this, and there's no need to, absent the BIG EXCEPTION set forth below. And, even then, just heightened concern, not panic.

I'm not an entomologist, but I spent quite a number of years managing a garden shop, and lots of people came in with ant problems.

To keep things simple, here's what I did:

1. Put the cat food filled with ants in a baggie in the freezer (you can just throw it away, but I'm a flinty bloke);

2. Wash the cat food dish with soap and water;

3. Cleaned the area of the floor adjacent to the cat food dish about 2 feet (.6 M) in diameter.

4. Put the big sack in the refrigerator, or the trunk of the Car of Doom.

5. Roar off to work in the Dark Tower in Downtown Los Angeles.

6. When I got home, picked up the bowl, then I sprayed the area of the floor I'd washed earlier with some contact bug killer recommended for indoor use on the area. I let it sit and dry completely before putting the cat food bowl back again.

If you hate bug killer, you could omit step 6.

EXPLANATION: Ants find their way to home and to food by leaving phermone "scent trails" for others to follow; the washing washes that away. They send out periodic "foraging columns" from their nests; workers that find something (including cat food) that the ants like, tell the others and you have that i-405 at rush hour column coming back and forth to the food. That's why: (a) they appear where they weren't before; or (b) come back when you thought you'd gotten rid of them before.

BIG EXCEPTION. If you're in the "American South" i.e., Texas, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma (and, maybe, Arizona or new Mexico) you might get "Red Imported Fire Ants." RIFA are a pain the literal sense that they can sting really nastily. The heightened concern is that: (a) they sometimes attack people; (b) or crated or tethered animals; and (c) sting them to death. So, just be super-vigilant.

So, Mods, if you think this belongs somewhere else, move it.

Everyone: shoot me a PM if you have questions you don't want to post here. But I encourage you to post, and share concerns with all of us.

Now, off the fondle the kitties.

What kind of indoor bug spray did you use?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Oddly enough I have never had a fire ant in my house - all over the yard continuously, despite treating them repeatedly. I do use Ortho Defense inside the house, on the outer perimeter walls, and perhaps that is why I don't have fire ants - or any other kind inside my house (YAY - and knock on wood). I typically apply it just once a year - deters/kills all other kinds of bugs for the most part too.

For cat food bowls that are outside, or even places like my screened in patio, they will tend to draw ants, so I don't leave them out there. But, if need be, such as in the case of feeding a stray, you can take a larger, fairly shallow container and put water in it, then set the food bowl inside the container. The ants do not cross into the water (or, if they do they drown) therefore keeping them away from the food.

Don't have any other suggestion related to the cat food bags, other than to secure them in a plastic sealable bin.

 

[Kflowers]

I've managed to get ants to move their mounds by sprinkling - a lot - of instant grits near the mound. Be generous. I think the grits kill the ones that eat them, but they do seem to move within a day or two. That is none of them are coming in or out of the mound. The grits are safe for cats, because most cats won't eat them (except mine, which is one reason she stays in the house) and I've never found any dead birds after I put the grits out.

Get the ones that come in the box with the pour spout. use about a fifth of a box per mound.

 

[tabbytom]

Here's an article guys :-

how-to-keep-ants-out-of-cat-food.33931

 

[ailish]

I have been battling ants in my cat's food dish - wet food. She usually eats all her meal in one sitting, but sometimes not. If she doesn't, the ants are close at hand, but I don't want to throw the food out. I read, I think on here somewhere, to put the food bowl in a larger bowl with water in it. I tried that and the ants soon went looking for other food. I won't use any poison for ants, as I feel that the cure is worse than the disease. I do have food grade diatomaceous earth on hand if things get out of hand.

Of course, once the ants leave you decide the problem is solved and get rid of the moat. Pretty soon the ants come back, so you have to do it again.

 

[Kat0121]

I have been battling ants in my cat's food dish - wet food. She usually eats all her meal in one sitting, but sometimes not. If she doesn't, the ants are close at hand, but I don't want to throw the food out. I read, I think on here somewhere, to put the food bowl in a larger bowl with water in it. I tried that and the ants soon went looking for other food. I won't use any poison for ants, as I feel that the cure is worse than the disease. I do have food grade diatomaceous earth on hand if things get out of hand.

Of course, once the ants leave you decide the problem is solved and get rid of the moat. Pretty soon the ants come back, so you have to do it again.

I use the Antser. It works like a moat but it's not messy and easy to maintain. It works really well.

The Antser Ant-Proof Barrier